Organico Bantry

Organico Cafe is a wonderful spot for Lunch in Bantry – even though we say so ourselves!

Tucked away upstairs, our Cafe is light, spacious and airy and we have a new and exciting lunch menu! We have a range of vegetarian and organic meals including some exciting new organic beef and organic fish dishes. There’s always something new and interesting and our deserts are tempting and delicious…

Come up and enjoy the food, the friendly atmosphere and a interesting exhibition of local art.

Bridgestone Guide had the following to say:
Rachel and Hannah Dare’s Organico is top-notch, 24 carrot, top-of-their-game. A superb Bakery. Brilliant organic vegetables arranged like a still life. Great wines. A lovely Cafe with an ever-changing roster of local artists, plus lots of PC’s so you can gab away to your friends. Organico is not just a shop, it is a hub of activity and a hive of evergy, and it is one of the stars of the west cork firmament’

I hadn’t heard of Chia Seeds until about a month ago. My excuse is that I was out on Maternity Leave and this new ‘craze’ has all blown up in a very short time! However, Chia seeds have a rich history and a lot going for them so I think they are around to stay.

They originate in Southern Mexico, and were a significant component of Mayan and Aztec diets. They were used as a source of energy as well as a treatment for joint pain, sore skin and as a way of stimulating saliva flow.

From a nutritional perspective, they are an excellent source of Essential Fatty Acids, even more so than flax seeds. And because they have such a high antioxident content the oil stays fresh for a long time and unlike flax, they do not need to be ground for the oil to be ‘available’ to our bodies.

For the digestion, Chia seeds provide a rich dose of fiber, and when soaked quickly in water (5 minutes or so) they form a gel which is very soothing, and helps relieve constipation.

This gel also seems to slow down the absorption of carbohydrates which makes Chia invaluable to athletes, people trying to lose weight, and diabetics.

Added to water with lemon or lime juice they make a drink known in Mexico as ‘Chia Fresca’. They have a mild nut-like flavour and can be sprinkled on cereal, baked in bread or just downed in water.

I have found them to be a pleasant addition to my diet, and we are working on a new Health Bread with Chia, Spirulina Flakes, and other exciting ingredients! I’ll keep you posted – Hannah

We know all oils should be fresh, correct? Well, I certainly didn’t realise until recently that most Olive Oils for sale here in Ireland are old. Even the cold-pressed, extra virgin ones. According to Italian food culture, Olive Oil should be used within at most a year from pressing, which makes it the complete opposite to good wine which is better the older it gets!

We have just started stocking a really tasty fresh olive oil in Organico. Colletta Olivieri Oil comes from the National Park of Gargano, on the Adriatic Coast, and because of this the olives are grown without chemical (the family is in the process of becoming certified Organic but it takes 2 years). But what distinguishes this oil from the other ones we sell is that it is from olives harvested late last year, making it very fresh. We currently have 500 ml bottles (RSP €6.30) and 3 liter tins in stock (approx €29). And if you like their oil you can go and stay with the family in their Agritourismo Colletta Antonetta which looks like the real deal!

I was sent a very interesting snippet of information recently from A.Vogel, a company who produce and research herbal remedies in a very ethical, safe and environmentally responsible way. Let me know what you think!

”Triple herbal combination: An effective alternative to benzodiazepines”

This is the title of a study into the effect of using a combination of valerian, hops and passiflora to help with sleep, whilst coming off benzodiazepenes.

Benzodiazepines are a group of sedative drugs and the patients taking part in this study had been taking them for an average of 6.8 months. They were coming off the drugs either due to their own request or their physician’s recommendation, or due to poor tolerability. The patients were given the herbal combination to see if it could counteract symptoms sometimes associated with the withdrawal phase from benzodiazepenes.

At the end of the 6-week treatment period, 68% of the patients thought that their sleep quality had improved. 74% indicated that they had more motivation and drive than at the beginning, and day time tiredness improved. At the end of the study, 64% of the patients said that they would continue with the herbal therapy, whilst 34% had improved sufficiently to discontinue therapy.

This information was supplied by A.Vogel.

Reference: Wähling C et al. Zeitschrift Phytotherapie 2009; 30: 69-72

This seems a bit out of date with the recent sunshine here in West Cork, but I wrote it in the depths of winter and forgot to post it (I think it’s called Baby Brain, a dangerous forgetful condition you can develop when you have a Young One…!) Anyway…

The short dark days of the early New Year leave many of us feeling a little blue – Why is that? Lack of direct sunlight and vitamin D deficiency is a significant factor in the development of SAD, or the ‘winter blues’. This month I’m focusing on Vitamin D. I have been taking vitamin D for a while as there has been so much recent research on the myriad of health benefits it offers, so I thought I’d provide some of the information I have gathered so you can see if you think it might be something that would benefit you. Read more…

We are delighted to be stocking Real Nappies made by Little Comfort, an Irish Company based in Co Donegal. Their nappies are made from Bamboo, a highly absorbent very eco friendly material which also happens to be really soft! Even better, it’ a one size nappy, which means it has really clever poppers for the smaller bottom and extenders for when tummies get really fat!

I have been using these nappies for over a month now, and it is so much easier than I had expected. I spent ages researching trying to find the best nappy out there, but really I was scared that even though I felt I HAD to try them out, I wouldn’t be able to make the whole soaking/washing/drying thing work. Well, I don’t know why I was so worried, it’s absolutely fine! We use them all day but not at night (not taking any risks with her waking up!). My husband finds them really easy to use. I don’t know if I found the best one, I didn’t try them all, but Little Comfort Nappies are fantastic.

We are running a great promotion at the moment, with 20% off the Full Pack and the Day Pack if you join our Baby Club (it’s free to join!). So come in and try -you’ll be just as relieved as I am not to be throwing out all those bags of nappies, I’m sure!

We love Eco Balls from Ecozone, an English company who make great eco-friendly products. Eco Balls are an alternative to laundry detergent, and from my expereince they clean pretty much everything including baby’s nappies (they are especially good for this since they are anti-bacterial).

You use 3 of them in your washing machine and together they produce ionized oxygen that activate the water molecules naturally and allows them to penetrate deep into clothing fibres to lift dirt away. One set of balls lasts 1000 washes; they soften your water which acts like fabric conditioner; on lightly soiled clothes you can use them on their own and for heavily soiled clothes just use a splash of detergent. . Great value and great for the environment too!

This month we even have a special offer – 15% off! So come and try them out!

For March and April 2010 we are offering free Wi-Fi in our Cafe outside of Lunchtime (so not between 12.30 and 2.30). So if you have your own laptop, feel free to come a browse (and try out our tempting snack and coffee menu while you’re at it!)

At 12.30 we might ask you to move tables or come back later…but that’s the only catch!

If this works we will continue…

Organico Café are very excited to be now offering dishes made with Martin and Yvonne Flynn’s local organic beef!

We have teamed up with Martin and Yvonne Flynn of Maughanasilly Farm in Kealkil who will supply us with a high quality range of Organic meats and we are working on a new and exciting menu.

Where most restaurants offer one vegetarian option, we are now offering one non-vegetarian option each day – so encourage your non vegetarian friends to try us out!

Do you know anyone who would like to exhibit their work locally in a busy Cafe? We like to support local artists, so if that’s you, and you have a good number of (preferably large) paintings ready to exhibit, give us a call!

The paintings must be framed. Please contact us with a portfolio (the best idea is to drop in a CD or some photos of your work and a short CV. Don’t forget your contact details!)

We normally exhibit for one to two months and are looking to hang a new exhibition right away.